Professional Staff

Cantor David Bentley M.Sac.Mus.Ordained Cantor
Registered Clergy

Cantor Bentley is available to conduct weddings (including same-sex ceremonies), baby namings, funerals and bar/bat mizvah ceremonies. He also meets with prospective converts. Please contact us to be put in touch with him to discuss your needs.

David Bentley was ordained (called to serve the Jewish people) as a cantor in New York in May, 2000 before an invited congregation of 2,000 witnesses. The first Australian to receive such Ordination, which followed five years of intense religious training, he is one of only two such Ordained Cantors working in the Australasian Region. He is registered to conduct weddings and also performs other life-cycle events and provides spiritual leadership to our congregation.

Whereas a rabbi’s spiritual leadership can be said to stem from his or her thorough knowledge of Torah, Talmud and other sacred texts, the core of a cantor’s connection with Jewish spirituality arises more from his/her extensive grounding in our sacred music and the interplay between a prayer and its accompanying chant.

David’s studies were undertaken in Jerusalem and New York at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Being the flagship training institute for rabbis, cantors, educators and others wishing to serve the community in professional capacities, David shared many classes with rabbinic students. His comprehensive training as a Spiritual Leader included courses in:

Jewish History & Philosophy

Biblical History and Critcism

Pastoral counseling

Hospital chaplaincy/sick visiting

Congregational Management

Classroom Methods

After serving as both Cantor and Religious School Director in a 300-family congregation near San Francisco for more than three years, David returned to Australia in early 2004.

Volunteers

Beit Or v’Shalom relies on the support and help of our many volunteers. Whether you can help with something once a year or more regularly, we welcome offers from interested / experienced persons to assist with activities in the following areas:

Communications Team:
• Website designers and maintainers – ensure our website stays current and attractive
• Newsletter editors – prepare and publish congregation and community news to members and supporters
• Librarian / historian – catalogue books and reference holdings and record congregational events
• Membership and Outreach – attract and welcome new members and keep in touch with those in more distant locations.

Pastoral Team:
• Life-cycle supporters – be a point of contact for families requiring congregational assistance for special family events such as Britot, baby naming, Bar / Bat Mitzvahs and weddings
• Visitors – visit the sick and keep in touch with them
• Advisors – offer confidential advice and guidance to those in need
• Funerals – assist in comforting the bereaved and in supporting Jewish ritual requirements before and after a funeral.

Please contact us if you are able to assist us with any of the above activities. We are so grateful for the work that all our Volunteers do – an extra pair of hands will lighten the load.

Library

The Terry Pekarek Memorial Library maintains an extensive library of books and DVDs on Jewish topics that are free for members to borrow.

The Laurie Rosenblum OAM Resources Centre stores Shule’s Reference Texts, Siddurs and prayer materials, along with its collection of bar/bat mitzvah texts and previous generations of siddurim. There is also a set of Mishna. These are available for research within the building.

Bernie Jacks OA Hall

The Bernie Jacks OA Hall is situated behind our synagogue and is used for education classes, fun music and movie nights and other Jewish events. Our Sukkah is located next to the Hall giving us the opportunity to spread out from the Hall if we wish. The Hall, although small and cosy, is air conditioned making it comfortable for events summer and winter.

About Us

Vision

A vibrant and enduring focus for Progressive Jewish life and thought in Brisbane.

Purpose

Beit Or v'Shalom exists to provide a welcoming, friendly environment where Jews can worship, learn and grow, and where everyone can contribute to the Jewish and broader community of Brisbane.

We accomplish this by providing, in a Progressive Jewish framework, for the religious, cultural, educational and social needs of Jews in Brisbane through services, learning programs and social activities that celebrate the principles of Torah, Talmud and Progressive Judaism.

Values

Respect – everyone is welcome and all views are listened to.

Learning – we treasure learning as the core of Jewish life and our hopes for the future.

Inclusiveness – there is a place here within a Progressive Jewish framework for all Jews, and all those who are studying to become Jews.

Family – we value every member as part of our Progressive Jewish family, whatever their own family circumstances.

Kashrut

Jewish dietary practices vary widely across different congregations in the Progressive Movement. Our practice at Beit Or v'Shalom recognises that many of our members, while not insisting on sourcing their meat and poultry from kosher butchers, do prefer to limit their consumption to kosher species, and the separation of meat and dairy.

In keeping with this, at our functions and events we allow meat except for any derivative of pork, and seafood except crustaceans and shellfish. Also excluded are products containing milk and meat together in the same recipe. All fresh vegetables and fruit are allowed.

Kosher fish, chicken, eggs and dairy products such as milk, cheese (non-animal rennet) and yogurt may be used in cooking and consumed on Synagogue premises.

It is recommended that when people put food out on the table they should label the foods appropriately (i.e. milk or meat, gluten free, vegetarian etc).

Constitution

Beit Or v'Shalom is incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act 1981.

The Synagogue is managed by a board of directors elected by members of the Synagogue with the support of our members and the wider community.

Beit Or v'Shalom Synagogue Brisbane: A brief history of origin

An unusual donation and the insightful thinking of a small group of Brisbane Jewry who wanted a shul outside of orthodoxy -- with equal rights for women -- gave birth to Queensland's first reform shul, Temple Shalom, in 1978. This congregation was later renamed as Beit Knesset Shalom Synagogue Brisbane Inc.

The shul was -- 'miraculously' -- purchased without incurring any debt.

At a Special General Meeting in December 1977 the congregation decided to buy the dwelling and property now known as Beit Or v'Shalom Inc, at 13 Koolatah Street, Carina (then postal code Camp Hill) — for $25,000.

The problem was how to raise the money. The obvious way was to send the hat around and allow congregants to make their donations. The only problem with that, as was seen by the shul's forward-thinking and enthusiastic founding members, was that it could take years with members slowly chipping in their hard-earned pennies and cents.

Instead of waiting, a core group suggested that five members -- who could afford it -- each put in $5000 (fairly substantial amounts in those days) to buy the property outright and avoid an overdraft.

Four hands went up, including the late Bernie Jacks at whose house the first ever meeting of Brisbane's reform Jewry was held in April 1972, and Ben Shohet, now in his eighties and still a strong supporter of the shul.

A fifth hand was needed, and it came in a most unusual and generous way. Terry Pekarek, formally of Czechoslovakia (see separate story on this site), who was the only survivor in her family of the Nazi concentration camps, found a number of gold coins that had been hidden by her father during the War. She brought these with her to Australia, and sold the coins to make up the full amount for the purchase.

The acquisition of the shul was finalised in early 1978, and the first service was Purim, on March 17. The chief lay reader was Harry Silver. A few months later, on August 28, a special Dedication Service was held with Rabbi Dr R Brasch, Rabbi Richard 'Dickie' Lampert, Rabbi Hillel Avidan and Reverend Cantor Michael Deutsch involved.

The congregation had come a long way -- in a short time -- from that first Shabbat Service at the home of Bernie Jacks and his wife, Joan in early 1972. Even that first meeting was well represented in an official capacity with Rabbi Brasch from Temple Emanuel, Woollahra, Dr V Bear, the Australia-New Zealand Union of Reform Jewry President and ANZURJ vice-president, Mr L Rose taking part.

From that first meeting, events moved fast. The first General Meeting was held in May -- remarkably, at the John Oxley Motel, Wickham Terrace. The name Temple Shalom was adopted and Mr George Frey, President of the Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies, made an official invitation to the congregation for affiliation to the state's overarching Jewish organisation.

Fast forward to 2007. Some members of the congregation wanted a more "conservative" feel, while others preferred to retain the "progressive" approach to Judaism. This led to the creation of Brisbane Progressive Jewish Congregation as a separate entity. Over the next decade it became clear that the separation had been a mistake. In mid-2017 the two congregations reunited to form Beit Or v'Shalom, and Brisbane's non-orthodox Jewish community once again found expression in a single, strong voice.

Brisbane’s two major non-orthodox communities have reunited

Brisbane’s non-orthodox Jewish communities merge to become Beit Or v’Shalom

Beit Knesset Shalom and Brisbane Progressive Jewish Congregation (Beit Or) officially joined hands after putting a merger agreement to their two congregations in late August. The new congregation is known as Beit Or v’Shalom, and is based at the original Progressive shul (Temple Shalom) in Koolatah Street, Carina (previously Camp Hill).

Jason Steinberg, president of the Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies, the roof body of Queensland Jewry, said he was delighted to hear the two congregations had merged. “The efforts shown by the two congregations and their leadership to merge is a great outcome for our relatively small Jewish community in Brisbane,” he said. “The new merged progressive congregation demonstrates the importance of having a harmonious community with shared values.”

Beit Or president Hila Jacobi, who will serve as president of the reunified congregation until a new board is elected mid-2018, said, “The reunification has come about after years of hard work. The will of the two congregations is there and the time is right. We look forward to a strong, inclusive and growing centre of Progressive Jewish learning and worship.” BKS president Matt Goldman, who recently made Aliyah to Israel, and who with Ms Jacobi was instrumental in bringing about the reunification, said, “The merger will create a strong progressive community centre in Brisbane which will further strengthen the wider Brisbane Jewish community. We can now look forward to a lively, united and growing congregation.”

The split came about nearly 10 years ago because of ideological differences. Said Union of Progressive Judaism president Roger Mendelson, “The UPJ is delighted that after 10 difficult years, Beit Or and Beit Knesset Shalom have agreed to merge. This is wonderful news for the Jewish community in Brisbane, including the Orthodox, as it will strengthen the whole community.” He said the UPJ “especially acknowledges the wisdom and drive shown by both boards and their presidents.”

Brisbane is on of many vibrant centres of Jewish life in the UPJ region, which covers Australia, NZ and Asia. The cheder has been meeting at the Carina shul grounds since May 2017, with around 30 children involved. In September 2017 final approval for the merger was granted by the Queensland Office of Fair Trading.

BKS president Matthew Goldman and Beit Or president Hila
Jacobi sign the memorandum of understanding leading to the
merger between the two congregations.

BKS and Beit Or executive and board members sign the contract for
merging the congregations. From top left: BKS vice president,
Alvin Maradeen and secretary and treasurer Mavis Rudd, and
Beit Or board member, Nathan Magnus and president Hila Jacobi.

Torah Scrolls

We own three Torah scrolls, each with its own unique story. One of the Torah Scrolls housed at Beit Or v'Shalom Synagogue Brisbane, has travelled a long way from it's original home. It was taken from the town of Loštice (pronounced LOSH-tea-tseh), about 140 miles east of Prague, in Moravia, in the eastern region of the Czech Republic. For more information go to www.memorialscrollstrust.org and read more on the Torah Scrolls saved from destruction during the Nazi occupation. Also see certificate below which is hung on the wall in the entrance to the Synagogue.

Another of our scrolls comes from Temple Shalom, Dallas. They gave it to us as part of the celebrations on the occasion of their fiftieth anniversary in 2015, recognising that BOS was growing and would benefit from their help. Their generosity has created a sister congregation relationship which we greatly value.

Our third scroll came into the congregation's possession early in the life of BKS, our predecessor in Carina. As the Holocaust scroll is too fragile to use regularly, this scoll and the Dallas scroll are the ones used for regular Shabbat and Festival services.

Coins

The coins pictured here once belonged to the Father of Terry Pekarek, a foundation member of Temple Shalom. Terry and her family lived in Czechoslovakia before World War II. They were all deported by the Nazis to concentration camps; only Terry and her husband survived.

After the war, Terry returned and found these 18 gold coins which had been hidden and which had been part of her Father’s valuable collection. Terry and her husband Rudi emigrated to Australia and eventually Rudi was appointed Chief Conductor of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Terry generously donated the coins towards the cost of the purchase of this building in Koolatah Street.

Dedicated to the memory of Terry Pekarek’s Family.

Windows

Right window:
In 1998 BKS celebrated it's 25th anniversary and to commemorate the event local artist and congregant Gael Levy was commissioned to design a stained glass window. Gael's design incorporates a dove, the universal symbol for our name shalom, together with the Hebrew lettering for shalom and Austro-Hungarian symbols taken from a collection of antique coins donated towards the purchase of the synagogue by the late Terry Pekarek Z"L. The cost of the window was donated byBen Shohet.

Left window:
The left hand window was commissioned in 2003 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the congregation. Gael's design for this window features a shofar based on the midrash citing Psalm 89:15, "Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound", and continues the menorah theme from the original commission. The costs were donated by the Miszkowski familyto celebrate Sam and Liisa's 25th wedding anniversary.